Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

Unblocking drains is never the most enjoyable of DIY jobs, and in many circumstances you may need to get the professionals in, but simple blockages (if there is such a thing!) normally have a fairly straightforward quick fix. In order to be prepared, shown below are three pieces of equipment I always have to hand should a blockage occur, somewhere in my waste and drain system. The good news is that none of these items are expensive, and all of them could save you a lot of money on calling out the pros to deal with your blocked drains. read more »

Plumbing isolation valves are quite simply some of the most useful devices that a DIY enthusiast can find in their home. These small valves allow you to turn off the water supply in one area of the plumbing system, so that you don’t have to drain down the whole system in order to carry out some work on a plumbing fixture or fitting. read more »

Creating watertight plumbing joints has always been an area that can stir up a little anxiety in even the most proficient DIY enthusiast, and rightly so as there’s always that moment when the water gets turned back on, and you sit staring at your newly made joint, with fingers crossed, and praying that all remains dry. Therefore in this guide, I want to provide you with a few pointers when you’re making plumbing joints, and detail what I consider to be the best joint options for DIY plumbing. read more »

Fitting a wall mounted basin provides a greater challenge than fitting a pedestal basin, or basin in a vanity unit, as you need to pay serious attention to how the weight of the basin is going to be supported. Also, you will almost certainly need to adjust supply and waste pipe positions for your new basin, therefore more advanced plumbing skills are required, than would normally be the case if, for example, you were just changing over one pedestal basin for another. read more »

Planning a bathroom project needs to be a very carefully considered process. If you are replacing most, or all, of the fixtures and fittings, it needs very good planning to co-ordinate the help you may require from different trades, with ordering and delivery of items, with the work you yourself plan to do, whilst still allowing your ‘home life’ to function around your bathroom re-fit! Below are a number of points to consider when planning a new bathroom, from making choices of bath, shower and toilet, to deciding on a sensible order of work. read more »